[FIRST LISTEN] Mika Returns With "Elle Me Dit" French-Language Single

Well, well. Here's a nice and unexpected surprise right before the holiday weekend. After laying low since the release of his Red One-produced "Kick Ass" single in 2010, British pop crooner Mika is premiering a brand-new single in France today.

This new ditty is called "Elle Me Dit," a French langague single with a title that translates to "She Tells Me." The song is taken from Mika's forthcoming new album "The Origins Of Love" that features production work by Empire Of The Sun's Nick Littlemore and William Orbit, the musical brain behind Madonna's "Ray Of Light" project, and Martin Solveig who is flying up the charts worldwide with "Hello."

It has not been confirmed, but judging from that playful dance beat, it sounds like "Elle Me Dit" was produced by Martin Solveig. It is a perfect match for Mika's fun and upbeat vocal riffs. Good to have Mika back. It's been too long and this tune sounds like a winner. (Note: I sent Solveig a note to confirm his involvement with "Elle Me Dit." Stay tuned.)

MIKA recently hosted MTV Logo's Pop Lab show and chatted about his music, Lady Gaga, his inspirations and much more. He also describes his unique brand of "hyper pop" that he defines very well.

He talks about the sound on his new album "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" as a combination of a "euphoric pop sound" with hard-hitting and very personal lyrics. "I like to bring together quite dark lyrics with quite joyful, sometimes naive sounding music," the singer describes. "It is quite magic when I get it right."

Very well put.

MIKA's new U.S. single is the brash and theatrical "Blame It On The Girls." Once again, the singer has lined up some very obscure and cool remixers to put together some revamps of the song. DJ/producer Wolfgang gives the song a fitting new electro arrangement with a throbbing little synth riff that sounds nothing like the original. Exclusive on ArjanWrites.com.

Video Premiere: MIKA "Rain"

Following on the heels of the video premiere of "Blame It On The Girls" last week, Island Records released MIKA's new video for "Rain" on their web site this morning. "Rain" will be the singer's new single in Europe that will be available November 23. "Blame It On The Girls" is MIKA's new single in Japan.

The video for "Rain" is a Cirque de Soleil-extravaganza with fairy forest creatures dancing and prancing around Mika on a wintery, dark night. Watch the video here. Noticeably, the video is lacking any, uh, rain (in case you were hoping for a literal interpretation).

"Rain" will come backed by some very special, super-dancey remixes courtesy of Benny Benassi, Seamus Haji, Magistrates (FREE DOWNLOAD) and Domenico Torti. The CD single version will come with a acoustic performance of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" that MIKA performed at Radio 1 Live Lounge.

Exclusive Free MP3 Download: MIKA "Rain" (Magistrates Remix)

MIKA's "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" is one of the most fun pop records of the year. MIKA does what he does best. Turn on the falsetto, hit the keys and have good fun with it while striking a perfect balance between feel-good ditties and gut-wrenching ballads.

"Rain" is one of the stand out tracks for me on the album. It has a distinct texture. It feels tighter, more compact than the others tracks. Less brash, more introverted. And that shouldn't be a surprise. The track was produced by Stuart Price who has turned production and soundboard engineering into a true science.

Check out a lush and minimal remix of "Rain" that was put together by emerging British indie-rockers Magistrates. Totally guilt-free. Exclusively on ArjanWrites.com. "Rain" will be released as a single on November 23.